To Be an Exceptional Boss, Here Are 11 Things You Must Give Your Employees

Think about a boss you truly respected. Think about a leader you truly admired. Think about a leader you not only loved to work for, but with.

What sets that person apart from every other boss?

Simple. They gave: generously, selflessly, and without expectation of return. They gave because their happiness–and their success–came from someone else’s happiness and someone else’s success. Yours.

And you can do that too.

1. Give the gift of patience.

We’re willing to give our all for some people. Why? They care about us, they believe in us, and we don’t want to let them down.

Showing patience is an extraordinary way to let people know we truly care about them. Showing patience and expressing genuine confidence is an extraordinary way to let people know we truly believe in them.

Showing patience is a genuine gift–because, ultimately, showing patience shows how much you care.

It’s easy for most of us to recognize great employees; after all, they do great things. (Of course it’s very possible that consistent praise is one of the reasons they’ve become great.) It’s much harder to find reasons to praise a person who simply meets standards.

But that’s why it’s so important to try. A few words of recognition–especially when that recognition is given publicly–could be just the nudge that inspires an average performer to become a great performer.

Try hard to see the good in people before they see it in themselves. You might just provide a spark that helps them reach their true potential.

3. Give the gift of forgetting.

When an employee makes a mistake–especially a major mistake–it’s easy to forever view that employee through the perspective of that mistake. (I’ve definitely done that.)

But one mistake, or one weakness, is just one part of the whole person.

Want to be a great boss? Step back, set aside the mistake, and think about the whole employee. Viewing any employee through the lens of just one incident may forever impact how you treat that employee.